John bobsost



J. ROBSON.

SOUND RECORD. APPLICATION HLEBMAR. 7. 19123.

Patented Dec. 16,

I (25 Pia -1-5- llllllllllllllllHllHlH v INVENTOR John fiasan B) Znrromvns JOHN ROBSON, on nodes JAW, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.

SOUND-RECORD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .1) cc. 1c, .1919.

Application filed March 7,1918. Serial No. 220,944.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN RoBsoN, a c1t1- zen of the Dominion of Canada,and a resident of Moose J aw, in the Province of Saskatchewan andDominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Sound-Record, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description. A

The invention relates to phonographs and similar sound reproducingmachines using records having. sound grooves for engagement by thestylus of the sound box.

The object .of the invention is to provide a new and in'lproved coveringfor such records arranged to protect the record against dust, injuriousdeposits and other extraneous matter, and to permit using the record inthe machine Without requiring removal of the covering. Another object isto return the tone arm with the sound box and the stylus to startingpositionto automatically cause a repetition of the piece played withoutrequiring stopping of the phonograpln Another object is to preventabrasion of the groove face of a record by rubbing contact of one recordagainst another or when placing such record on a table or other su ortor removing it therefrom.

In order to produce the desired result, use is preferably made of aprotective covering which forms a permanent part of the record. Use isalso made of a covering centrally pivoted on the record and coverin andprotecting the sound groove face t ereof, the covering having a slotextendlng across the sound groove and through which extends the stylusto engage the sound groove and to hold the covering a 'ainst turmng withthe revolving record. Use is also made of a return guideway formed onthe covering and extending from the terminal of the aforesaid slot tothe beginning end thereof to return the stylus to starting position.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in

which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the views.

Figure 1.is a plan view of the sound record provided with the protectivecovering;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the same in positionon the revolving platform of the phonograph and with,the

ing more particularly the return guideW-ay for the stylus;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same and showing more particularly theslot for the passage of the stylus to engage the sound groove of therecord.

Sound records have heretofore been marketed in a more or lessunprotected state,

and therefore in reproducing sounds from such records it has beennecessary to expose the whale surface; There are many objections to thisuniversal practice.

On removing the record from its usual paper covering the fingers arebrought into mmediate contact with the. surface of the record. Thefinger tips exude a-great deal of perspiration. his exudation is notsimply moisture, but consists of grease, water, fatty matters, andvarious chemical salts'in solution. Upon evaporation of the Water, thesalts crystallize while the greasy portions continue to be sticky. Undermicroscopical examination those crystals of salt are perfect in form,transparent and quite solid, being like table salt in hardness andgrittiness. They stick very firmly onto the surface which bears them.When perspiration comes into contact with a record surface, some of themoisture flows into the grooves and after crystallizing in the minuteindentations is bulky enough to alter'the vibrations to some extent. Oneor two stains from the fingers might not be very importa nt, but whenrepetitions to the extent of dozens of times are made, the subject isnot a trivial one. The. fingers come in contact with a records surfacewhen it is bein removed' from the envelop, laid on the instrument,turned over, removed therefrom, and replaced in the case -five times, atleast. Both hands are generally used in manipulating a record, so.-th'ata dozen impressions may be made each time it is played. Except in veryrare instances, the users of sound records discard the envelopaltogether and allow the records to have immediate contact with oneanother. This leaves the sound groove open to whatever dust may befloating around in the neighborhood and the frictional contact with oneanother has a deleterious efl'ect on the surface of the record. Anotherobjection that may be cited to the unprotected state of records ashitherto made is that they are easily broken. A further difficulty metwith where envelops are used is that records very often are filed in thewrong envelops and considerable inconvenience caused thereby.

The record 10 illustrated is a double-face disk record, that is, eachface is provided with the usual sound groove. The faces of the record-10are protected by a covering formed of" two plates or sheets 11 and 12 ofcelluloid, stiff paper or other stitf sheet material, the plates orsheets being of circular or polygonal shape and projecting slightlybeyond the peripheral edge of the record 10 toprotect such edge. Theplates are mountedto turn centrally on an eyelet 13 held centrally onthe record, the eyelet forming a passage for the upper end of therotating spindle 1% carrying the platform 15 adapted to support therecord. It will be noticed that the two covering plates 11 and 12 pro'tect the groove faces of the record 10 against dust, injurious depositsand other extraneous matter:

Eaclrof the covering plates 1.1 and 12' is provided with a slot orsimilar opening 20 extending across the corresponding sound groove ofthe record 10 to permit the stylus 21 to extend through the said slot 20with a. View to engage the corresponding sound 'groove without requiringremoval of the covering from the record. The slot 20 is preferablycurved as shownin Fig. 1, for the particular purpose to be hereinafterdescribed, and tends slightly outwardly beyond the beginning end of thecol-res )onding sound groove and slightly inward beyond the inner 'endof the sound groove so thatthe stylus can fully engage the sound groovethroughout. its length without the slightest hindrance by the covering.li a single-face recordis used then the covering disk on the t'irelyomitted.

back does not require the suit and can be pernianentl'y fastened to theback of the record, if desired, or such covering may be on- The innerend of the slot 20 leads to a face of the covering disk 11 or 12 andextending'from the inner end of the slot 2 to theouter or beginning endthereof so that the stylus passes from the inner end of the slot-Q0 intothe guidcway whereby the stylus and with itlhe sound box and tone"arin'are gradually moved outward back to starting position with thestylus finally r dropping off-the outer-end of t-llc guideway I andback-into the sound groove to automatically cause a repetition of thepiece played at the time and without stopping the phonograph. lt isunderstood that when a double-face record and its coveringare placed inposition on the phonograph then the covering disk at the under side ofthe record rests on the platform 15 and is held against movement by theweight of the record so that both the record and the under side coveringdisk rotate with the platforn'i. The upper covering disk hasits slot 20engaged by the stylus so that this top coven ing disk is practicallyheld against rotation by the stylus during the time the stylus trav--els in the soumlgroove. It is also understood that when the slot 20 iscurved. as shown in Fig. 1, then a slight turning move-- ment is givento the uppermost covering disk by the stylus,

In explanation of the slot 20 in the particular disposition referred to,that is curved and disposed in the angular inclination as a whole to atrue radial line. of the record disk and its covering. attention iscalled to the fact that by this means I hm enabled to assist the feedingof the stylus across the record disk within the sound groove, while, atthe same time, I carry out. the covering or protecting idca previouslyexplained, as well as the utilization of a return groove in connectiontherewith,- so that the invention presents the combined advantages I,have thus far-specitiml in a small, simple, compact constrlu-t-ion, asshown. I am aware that it has been before proposed to protectrecorddisks vby coverings of a more or less permanent nature. and I am alsoaware that devices have been utilized in connection with and disposedupon record disks to return the stylus to its starting point forrcpetitimi gpurposes. I. am also aware that previous patents have.proposed assistance to the stylus in its feeding movement across arecord disk, as for instance in Patents Nos. 885,189; 915,022; and919,536, although these latter devices do not contemplate the use ofmeans carried by the diskitself. As above stated, my invention combinesthese advantages in a single arrangement carried by and forming a.permanent part of the record disk so as to be ready for use at alltimes. For the purpose of the invention the slot 20, is, as stated,inclined as a whole, that is from end to end with r'espect to a trueradial line of the record disk and the covering, and to facilitate theoperation it is preferably curved entirely therealong, as particularlyseen in Fig. 1. Obviously the degree of inclination will control theforce applied tendiug to alfcct the feeding of the stylus.

1 do not limit myself to the precise C011. struction and arrangement ofthe covering as shown and described as the same may be varied withoutdei-iating from the spirit of my invention, it being however expresslyunderstood that in each case the casing forms a permanent part of therecord and protects the sound groove thereof against dust, injuriousdeposits and other extraneous matter.

'litles :lor identification of the record and other legends may beprinted on the outer faces of the covering.

l'laving thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by- Lettors Patent 1. A covering forphonograph records adapted to turn centrally on the face of the recordand ind pendently of the latter, the covering having: an opening for thepassage of the stylus inclined with respect to a true radial line of therecord disk, for the purpose set forth,

2. A covering; for phonograph records adapted to turn centrally on theface of the record and independently of the record, the covering havinga grooved slot-like opening extending across the sound groove of therecord, and inclined as a whole with respect to a true radial line ofthe record, the said opening being adapted to be engaged by the stylusof the phonograph to hold the covering practically against movementWhile the record rotates.

3. A covering for phonograph records adapted to turn centrally on theface of the record and independently of the record, the covering havinga slot-like opening extending across the sound groove of the record atan angle as a whole inclined with respect to a true radial line of therecord, the said. opening being adapted to be engaged by the stylus ofthe phonograph to hold the covering practically against movement whilethe record rotates, the said covering having a return guideivayconnecting with the terminal of the slot-like opening to guide thestylus back to starting. position.

4:. A covering for phonograph records arranged to turn on the fa a ofthe record and independently of the latt the said coveriny; having aslot to receive a stylus, extending at an angle inclined with respect toa true radial line of the record and curved for the purpose described.

5. A covering for phonograph records, comprising a member carried by butrotata- 'ble independently of the record, said member having a combinedneedle slot and returning groove therein, the slot portion of which isso placed with respect to a true radial line of said record, that itexerts a feeding force either toward or from the corn ter of the record,dependent upon its position with respect to said radial line.

JOHN ROBSON.

